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He suddenly calmed, like a shark coasting in water. His following words were devoid of emotion. “Have you ever wondered why fire exists? The First Nations people used to set fires before they moved to another location. First, they pillaged and violated the land for resources. Then they burned it to the ground.”
She scoffed. “They did that to avoid wildfires in summer.”
“They burned it down so that new life would spring from the ashes.” He shook his head. “This practice has been alive since the dawn of our species.”
“We’re evolved. Fires can now be stopped by”—she pointed to her fingers, counting the ways—“water bombs. Oxygen deprivation. Extinguishers.”
“Enough!” His expression turned deadly. “Your ideals will kill you. This world is unsalvageable—kindling. I’d rather control the burn.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Very soon, you’ll see that I’m right. But it will be too late. Even if you grovel at my feet, I don’t care anymore. You had your chance.”
“You think you’re right?” she gasped, outraged. “¡Ay, qué menso! You’re mad! Insane. How we ever shared a womb is beyond me.”
Ice entered his gaze. “I should have eaten you like I did the other one.”
There had been triplets growing in their mother.
Maybe something had always been wrong with him, from his dark obsession with cruel historical rulers to his unbending opinions and threats.
A conniving glimmer entered his eyes. She would never have placed it without thinking about how he threatened Jace. Nova remembered walking in on the two arguing, seeing Jace’s wounded expression, then Nile’s calculated triumph as Jace told her they couldn’t be together.
She narrowed her eyes on her twin. “What have you done?”
He tugged his sleeves down and shrugged.
“I did what I always said I would do.” His emotionless eyes were at odds with his words. “I beat you. I’ll always beat you.”
“I didn’t realize we were competing.”
“We’ve competed since we were born.” His lip curled. “In the womb, for our parents’ love, at school, at friendship. You always seemed to win. But I’ve been playing the long game, Nova.”
Who was this man?
“You know…” He sighed as though this conversation bored him. “I came here to tie up loose ends. You’re the only one alive who knows everything. I thought you were my greatest chess opponent, but I see now that I’ve been playing with a pigeon. In hindsight, I overestimated you. Using you would have been easier than creating another linked energy source, but…” Another sigh. “Let’s just say things turned out for the better.”
He left the dining room.
“Come back here and explain yourself,” she shouted. “Niles!”
But he strolled to the front door, passing the family pictures in the hall without stopping. He opened the front door, stepped into the rain, and looked at the coming storm as though the sun shone on his face.
“I always thought that name sounded weak.” Disgust oozed from his tone. “They gave you a beautiful, powerful name. Nova—like a bursting star. I used to obsess over it. Why? Why would they stack the odds against me? Then I realized… the other side of a nova is the black hole it creates in its wake—the Void.”
He stared at Nova until she shuddered. The evil wrongness of his soul poured into hers. They’d always had a twin connection and a sense of what the other was feeling or where they were. She often guessed his passwords because of it. But this evil—this was new.
No… not new. Just revealed.
There was no joke in his eyes. No humor. This was the real Niles, and he was right. She was as clueless as a pigeon knocking over chess pieces, not even understanding their game.
She snarled, “Mama and Papa would be ashamed of this man you have become.”
“Lucky then, isn’t it?” His gaze turned cruel. “Lucky they both died at the same time.”
Coming back to herself, Nova frowned. She’d always thought it lucky that her parents died together in their sleep. She told herself it was love. They couldn’t bear to be separated, and their broken hearts ended in tandem. But she also thought it was odd that Niles immediately left to reconnect with their criminal relations.
What if he killed their parents to prove his loyalty…
